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FLOOR-A-PALOOZA ALERT

Posted at 3:47 PM on March 26, 2008
by Michael Marchio

SF2822 , the Good Faith insurance bill will probably be taken up in the House tomorrow, and I'll be holding a floor-a-palooza for it if it is. I'll be posting tomorrow morning to let you know and put a link in to watch, but you should cheer on your lawmakers. Lets hope their voices are nice and rested to earn their teams some points.

This is normally the time during session when committees hear budget recommendations and start thinking about which kittens to drown in that budget deficit. Not real kittens, of course, but their favorite proposals in omnibus legislation, if they've got a price tag. That's what pretty much every Senate committee was up to today, but there were a couple bills of interest I'd like to point out.

A couple weeks ago, Sen. Ellen Anderson's SF2953 was introduced, the one that would cap liability for lost cell phones at $50. That's not the only cell phone bill working its way through the Legislature. Sen. Mary Olson is sponsoring a proposal that would strengthen protection for consumers. According to her press release, here's what it would do:

• Clearly state at the time of sale the price for the service being purchased by the customer, including any variable charges such as roaming charges or charges for exceeding a specified number of minutes;

• Provide a good faith estimate of all applicable government-authorized or required taxes and fees;

• Inform customers whether their monthly charge could be altered in the future;

• Specifically alert a customer whenever a change in service or purchase of a good will result in an extension of their contract;

• Clearly disclose any termination fee and change-in-term provisions in a wireless
service contract, and obtain written acknowledgment that the customer has read and understands those provisions;

• List government-mandated charges in a section of the bill separate from the charges for the wireless telecommunications service;

• Provide customers with accurate coverage maps at every location where their service is sold

No word yet on whether it passed, as the Senate didn't broadcast that hearing.

SF1950, the bill that would send tax revenue generated by the Mall of America...to the Mall of America to pay for an expansion. It would also give the Mall a sales tax exemption for construction material and equipment. Representatives for the mall noted that the expansion would bring in another $80 million in tax revenue each year on top of the $50 million it already brings it and provide 7,000 jobs for construction and another 7,000 after the expansion, which would double the size of the mall, is built.

HF2554, Rep. Lyndon Carlson's constitutional amendment to let the Legislature call a special session was approved by Ways and Means. Did you know it would cost $102,000 to add the question to the ballot? How about that? Hat tip to the Session Daily